that the u.s. is looking at a prisoner swap with the taliban, in an effort to free army sergeant. a short time ago, the washington report, inside story is next. >> decades of misrule, colonial neglect, poverty, fraudulent elections, the central african republic has not been good to its citizens. now amidst all the violence is it unraveling? >> hello, i'm ray suarez. during europe's 1,900th century

scramble for africa, belgium, france, sat their flags in the middle of africa. france took over congo and then handed the colony over to the germans and then took it back after the first world war. they tried to kick the french out but cotton, tea, gold and diamonds won the argument. it's been 150 years since france left, but the governments of central african republic did little bit than the french did. over 4.5 million people in a country smaller than texas there is poverty, illness, division and now great danger. families are fleeing the central african republic by the tens of

thousands. [ gunfire ] as fighting between rival rebel groups the is he electric can and the anti-about anti-balaka. >> there is nothing here for us. >> in a country that has seen five coups since it's 1960 independence this particular humanitarian crisis has "s" raising alarm in the international community. >> central africa is a humanitarian catastrophe. there is ethnic cleansing taking place and it must be stopped. >> descending into chaos for close to a year, the seleka division overthrow the government last march. france sent 1600 soldiers to try

to bring order along side is a 0 africaen troops. >> i think what is important is we assume our international responsibilities. europe must do its part as well. >> the alliance pressured seleka leader to step down last month. now acting as the interim president. >> i swear in front of god and in front of the nation to respect the transitional constitutional charter to agree that independence and the community of the public to regard tour territory, integrity, and preserve our peace. >> but now a loose coalition known as the anti-bal akas have sworn revenge on seleka for previous atrocities. thousands of muslims are being

it's entirely possible that in a few weeks from now there will be no more muslims in bangui and the rest of central african republic. >> the hat red is futurin fuelis looting across the country. >> when i opened the door i was shot at. they shot me in the leg. i was taken to a community hospital where i spent two months. >> france deployed an additional 400 french troops from chad and gabon to try to bring order to the central africa republic streets. >> we are here to apply the u.n. security double resolution meaning the resolution of the international community voted unanimously and including the use of force. >> french and african peace keepers also conducted house searches in a bangui neighborhood believed to be the anti-balaka base. knives, grenades, automatic weapons and ammo were

confiscated. but the mission's top target was not. he escaped a capture. although the central african republic is rich in gold, diamonds and uranium, decades of political chaos and resource mismanagement has left residents largely impoverished and vulnerable. the u.n. estimate 1 million people are in need of food aid and large percentage of the country are living on one meal a day. it's dangerous to drive food in. the world food program started delivering aid in by plane. >> this is a lifeline to bring emergency food relief to the people who have been affected by the conflict here in the central african republic, and it allows us to reposition the food across the c.a.r. before the rainy season starts and roads are impassable. >> planting season is one month away and farmers still need

their seed. so the humanitarian crisis may get worse. more than 2,000 people have been killed and more than 800,000 displaced. >> on this edition we're focusing on the crisis in the central african republic. the violence is escalating, can it be stopped, and who is going to do it. we have the u.s. an ambassador to nigeria and congo and director of africa at the national security council. from austin texas, mark schroeder, vice president of a geopolitical firm, and ama. mark, let me start with you. how much of the current problem has to do with the fact that this was already a long troubled

place? >> well, that's exactly right. if we look at the history of the central african republic, it has been one of insecurity, coup d'etats going back decades. but when we look at this immediate episode of violence and rebellions we have to take it back to 2003 when the previous president came to power through a coup. he was overthrown a year ago, march of last year, and the country has continued to deteriorate and struggle trying to manage it's own security games. >> ambassador, we saw foreign troops on the ground there, african union and france. but there has to be peace to keep in the first place, doesn't there? i mean, more troops won't necessarily cure what ails the country now, will it? >> first you have to control of humanitarian crisis. the troops will be helpful in that. you need to create a peace

corps. door so refugees who nude to get out and the idps, so that's safe to assistance can be provided. in the long term you're right. troops alone are not going to restore peace to the c.a.r. it's going to be the people of c.a.r. coming together to do right now, absent of the troops, at each other's throats. >> i think we have to put the whole thing in context. when you look at what happened in december 2012 and over last year with the muslim leadership attacking christians and muslims as well, and then deteriorating even more into sectarian violence, which we're seeing today, i think that

>> another issue is right now the muslim population is running away, fleeing the violence and going to chad. so i'm--i fear that the neighboring areas of chadd could assess seed, because the central

government cannot control the situation in a country as big as texas. >> when we come back after a short break we'll talk about two important aspects of this crisis. is the rest of the world basically turning it's back on the central african republic, and how much of the conflict between christians and muslims in africa is being seen in this one small country? this is inside story, stay with us.

>> this instability and unhappiness. >> i think we have to focus on the means to get there first. you cannot get there without looking at it strategically. i do want to put a qualifier on this band of countries. we tend to do a cookie cutter approach sometimes to these very strategic issues specifically on the continent. i would argue that you do have localized security issues in northern nigeria. you have localized security issues in northern mali, and central african republic is a bit different because it's a smaller country, smaller population, so the impact has been more global there. but sometimes the root causes we have to pay attention to. we can't always say that all the root causes for these outbreaks are the same. i would argue that for central

african republic the fundamental issue there is, like you mentioned, total lack of leadership over the last 20, 30 years, and you haven't had an enabling environment where the country can grow and develop. it's very different from the situation in northern nigeria and mali, so we have to be careful when we speak of these strategic issues, not to look at all the root causes being the same. that being said the international community coming together has an opportunity here in c.a.r. to stem the tide. it's not going to be easy. it's going to be tough. i understand that the e.u. is now looking at providing troops as well to the region. i think the donors who have pledge humanitarian assistance need to step up to the plate and provide the assistance. they haven't done that. you have 60,000 people sitting in bangui trying to get out. they need additional airlift to be able to do that, to move

people out of the violent situation. i think the international community has to come together more in order to at least provide an enabling environment for hopefully dialogue to begin. >> it has to come together. the question is will it? we'll talk about that after this short break. this is inside story.

>> welcome back to inside story. i'm ray suarez. the united nations said more than 2,000 people have been killed in the central african republic, and 800,000 people have been displaced. the question is can the international community come together to help solve the crisis? still with us robben renée sanders ambassador to the republic of congo. and mark schroeder, and amadusu

cy. >> i'm wondering, with all the countries that are wealthy enough, strong enough to pull that off do any of them work with the central african republic that and see incentive to intervene that way? >> you really speak to the heart of it, and it's really france among western countries that sees a compelling interest in the central african republic. it might be in part economic interest, but also just to insure stability in one of its former colonies that does not disrupt stability in the broader region that france is equally just as concerned about. and we have noted already that

france is intervening in mali and has expressed recent concern for rising insecurity andy hadist insecurity in libya. when we come back to western countries speaking of are we interested to step in and help resolve these insecurities and under development in central african republic that's a hard sell. that's a hard sell in most western governments. but france is one that has evidently stood up already with the pulling up of 2,000 troops and they will be there for the long term understanding that they eventually have to be that guarantor for the statement of f central african republic. we need to address the neighbors to central african republic if we're going to have a lasting

development. with uganda, cameroon, south sudan impacted to one degree or another, or impacting the central african republic, those countries must be incorporated into a stability and long-term plan for the c.a.r. >> amadu cy, the recent era has seen a lot of african wars but it has seen continental groups playing an important role in calming things down. can africa do more of this on its own? are we inevitably going to see french troops, british troops in the coming years? >> first, you have seen regional bodies being involved in the solution of continent. in the c.a.r. the regional economic community is contributing troops and is also

providing funds. we've seen also in somalia african troops have participating, and in south sudan we have seen ethiopia and youganda and other country being involved. in the last african unions assembly there was a statement a commitment to have rapid intervention sources. african-led intervention forces. we are not there yet, but one thing that the international community can offer is the logistical support. these things are not easy to organize, and only some countries like the u.s. can provide enough logistical support for the regional groups, really, the regional communities to inter convenient rapidl inte.

>> is there much interest in doing that? >> i think there is strategic interest in what is happening in c.a.r. because of the potential of it expanding and impacting other countries. when he was ambassador to the republic of congo, i mentioned that the c.a.r. had a coup during that time. and the impact was refugees. i think we get it. we're very much involved in dialogue with the french. which tend to provide lift for those circumstances, particularly for humanitarian assistance, and i know we're doing that as far as c.a.r. is concerned. one thing we haven't had in c.a.r. we haven't had an embassy, an active embassy at c.a.r. for some period of time. >> we'll have to stop it there. i hope we can continue talking about this story. thank you all. this come brings us to an end os

edition of "inside story." in washington, i'm ray suarez. >> it's taken us a day to trek to the small village of mulatos. we are up here in the mountains, and this is where colombia's war has continued, where the government has pushed the paramilitary, and they're at war. we have come to meet a group of activists.